Congratulations, you've got people!

Published: Tue, 05/12/15

"Go forth and lead."

You've worked hard. You've been looking forward to leading your own team. You've had supervisors you look up to, who inspired you. Or maybe you had supervisors who made you think, "Surely I can do better than that..."


iStockphoto GlobalStock
You had training, coaching, and advice. Maybe you were shoved on your way with the unspoken message, "Go forth and lead." But do you know what you need to get things done through people, as a supervisor?

As a manager of people, you craft assumptions based on what you believe and what you value. You observe and absorb expectations that have been communicated, intentionally or unintentionally. You can end up making decisions based on an unexamined foundation. The results can range from inconvenient to dire.

The road to heck is paved with good intentions.

For instance, it might seem like the right thing to do to fight for a high performance rating for all your employees. Then your peers pushes back that Sally isn't pulling her weight. How do you tell her she has performance improvement needs without her asking why she's just now hearing this? After all, just a few months ago, via her performance rating, you told her she was meeting expectations. You communicated some version of, "Just keep doing what you're doing."

Now you're in a fix. Do you endure the prospect of losing the respect of your team members or the discomfort of telling Sally the truth, or both? Don't overlook the difficult position that you've put the organization in. If Sally's performance doesn't improve she must be held accountable to that. Your employer may have to support your decisions in litigation, if worse comes to worst. Good intentions can sometimes backfire, in great and small ways.

How do you sort through the seemingly conflicting expectations of you, as a manager of people?

As a manager, you have your own natural inclination in response to a situation. When I say natural inclination, what I mean is, what occurs to you first. You may not consider your first reaction reasonable or actionable. What I know is that your natural inclination should not just be tossed away, and often holds a clue to a wise, powerful response —even your superpower! When I coach managers, I like to start there. Then we dial in other areas.

I focus on these 3 domains:
Image

ORGANIZATION - This domain includes the foundational expectations that your boss, the organization and your employees have of you. They are often taken-for-granted, and sometimes even unspoken. Now, when you see these expectations, you can compare them to what seems right and true to you, and begin to work through any conflict this causes you.

SELF - Leading and managing people is not a cookie-cutter thing. The way you approach it is unique to you. It's important to get clear on your own process. Then consider the unspoken expectations of the organization. Now you can more confidently think through and adjust your decisions and interactions as necessary based on the needs for the specific situation.

EMPLOYEES - The importance of addressing the human needs of people at work is often disregarded, if not outright dismissed. There are many human needs people bring to work. I focus on appreciation, belonging, and meaningful contribution, just to keep things simple. These components of human nature can easily be leveraged to grow employee initiative and satisfaction.

Examine your decision-making process, and the foundation on which it is built. Your management of people will stop feeling like so much effort, or a guessing game. You will be coming from a place of power (the good kind), from the inside, which no one can take away from you.

[Image credit: people, iStockphoto GlobalStock]

My Best,
Image







P.S. Learn more about your natural inclination (or manager superpower) as part of my Empowered Manager's Success Kit. Just click here.


Image
About Mary Schaefer: I'm a coach and trainer for managers of people and anyone else committed to their own development and advancement.  My belief is that your key to success is self-empowerment.  Click here to find out more about what I mean by this and what it can mean for you.

Question? Comment? Click reply and let's talk.
Do you know the 3 essential conversations you need to have with your boss?
Image
It can sometimes be hit-or-miss when you to have a meaningful conversation with your boss about topics like those in this guide.

Whether you are a new employee or you have a manager who is new to you, it’s always good to make sure the two of you cover — in more than just a superficial way — topics like what your boss considers a high priority or what kind of situation justifies you calling them at home.  These situations can be fraught with assumptions and differing expectations.  Good to get them discussed before they cause a falling out.

Take a moment now to claim your free guide to the types of topics you really need to talk about.  It’s so much easier to cover these before something blows up. 

The Newly Revamped Empowered Manager's Success Kit
Image
If you are a manager with employees or an aspiring manager, the tips, tools, and tales shared in the newly revamped Empowered Manager’s Success Kit can help you learn to:
  • Unearth what motivates that employee you can’t quite figure out.
  • Respond effortlessly to that curve your employee just threw you.
  • Stop dreading delivering performance feedback.
  • Prevent misunderstandings while heads are cool.
  • Put mechanisms in place to keep you and your employees on track.
(It doesn’t even matter if you supervise employees or not, you can adapt these tactics to learn to work with a tough boss or co-worker who has you puzzled.) 


Did you receive this email from a friend or colleague?

To get more messages like this one, subscribe to my email list here.